Level 3 · Reading series
Lesson 48 · A Translation for the Town Notice
Audio track 48
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
Our town needed a short English notice about a temporary road closure. I offered to help translate it. The Japanese notice said that the road was closed “in the morning,” but the work actually ended at eleven.
I asked the town worker whether people could walk through after eleven. She checked with the team and said yes. We wrote the exact hours in the English version and drew a simple map of the open route.
My first draft had been a direct translation of every word. The final notice was clearer because I had asked what a reader would need to do. The worker checked both versions before they were posted. Translation was not only choosing English words; it was helping someone find the right path.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
镇上需要一张简短的英文告示，说明一段道路将临时封闭。我主动提出帮忙翻译。日文原告示说路在‘上午’封闭，可施工实际上十一点就结束了。
我问镇上的工作人员，十一点以后行人是否可以通行。她向施工队确认后说可以。于是，我们在英文告示上写明了具体时间，还画了一张简图，标出可走的路线。
我的第一稿逐字照译。最后的告示更清楚，是因为我先问了自己：读告示的人需要据此做什么？发布前，工作人员检查了两个语言版本。翻译不只是选英文词，也是帮别人找到正确的路。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- notice
- 告示；告诉居民道路通行情况。
- temporary
- 临时的；封路只持续一段时间。
- road closure
- 道路封闭；施工期间不能通行。
- offer to help
- 主动帮忙；主人公提出翻译。
- translate
- 翻译；把告示写成英文。
- actually
- 实际上；施工十一点结束。
- exact hours
- 准确时段；比‘上午’更明白。
- route
- 路线；地图标出可走的路。
- direct translation
- 逐字翻译；第一稿未充分考虑读者行动。
- post a notice
- 张贴告示；发布前检查双语内容。
Background notes (Chinese)
公共告示要帮助人采取行动。‘上午’对赶路的人可能不够明确；译者先核实十一点后的通行情况，再写出具体时间和路线，并由负责人员复核。